The Right Gun for a Woman, According to Women

The Right Gun for a Woman, According to Women

A few years ago, I was shooting at a local indoor range when a young lady nervously entered the firing area, flinching in shock with every shot. She said she was there to meet a friend of hers who had promised to help her learn to shoot, and that she’d never shot a gun in her life. The lady friend she was there to meet saw us and guided her friend to the stall next to me, where a scared, shaky young woman began her history with firearms by shooting a .38 Spl. snubnose revolver.

Flash forward to earlier this year, when another young lady found out my friends were “into guns” and wanted to learn to shoot her firearm better. We asked what kind of gun she owned, and she replied “It’s a short revolver…a .38, I think. A friend gave it to me and said it was a good gun for a woman.”

Well, is it? Is a .38 Spl. snubby a good “woman’s gun?” Manufacturers seem to think so, building all manner of short .38-caliber revolvers with pink grips and other features thought to appeal to female gun buyers. I decided it was time to run a test.